Sky wants to eat but wont

[sally53]

Hi please help, time is running out.
Sky wants to eat, but will only have a couple of mouthfuls then stops.
Vet has done basic examination, nothing found, then blood tests, scans and samples from liver and gall bladder.
Liver slightly inflamed but vet said that shouldn't stop him from eating. He gave him Metacam which helped slightly, but then Sky was vomiting and shaking for 2 hours so vet said don't use it for the time being. Meanwhile, Sky is literally starving in front of me.
Has anyone else come across this situation?

[Mollycat]

I've noticed vets don't seem to examine a cat's mouth so thoroughly any more, are Sky's teeth and gums ok? Nothing on his tongue or in his cheeks?

[sally53]

Hi Mollycat
Thanks for contacting. The vet that saw Sky first had a look in his mouth, found nothing but yes, thinking about it, it was a quick look. Then when he had his xray and scan maybe that vet looked just to check but I don't know. We have just come back from the vets and she had a look in his mouth too. She has given him an anti sickness injection, a dose of Metacam in case its pain that's stopping him, and an appetite stimulant. If I can just get him back to eating a pouch a day Id be content, I know its not much but he would manage on it. Of course, as soon as he got home he went straight to his food, and had a few mouthfuls. So fingers crossed he will eat properly later, when the meds kick in. I really don't want him to go thru being opened up to look at the liver and gall bladder, which is what the second vet is suggesting next. (Btw, its three different vets, but all from the same Practice).

[Ruth B]

Have you tried a different consistency cat food, one of the pate ones, or a gravy one i he normally has jelly, even one of the soups or a creamy snack might help him eat something.

In my mind if a cat appears to be hungry but then stops eating after a mouthful or two, either they are just being fussy or there is something wrong with his mouth or throat. If he was eating and throwing up all the time, or eating and losing weight then it might me something else, but the mouth certainly seems the best place to start.

I hope you get to the bottom of the cause soon and he is back to eating again.

[Lilith]

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear about Sky. Yes, I can recommend some stuff called Lick e Lix (widely available and comes in a box of small tubes, perfect for a cat who can't manage much) and also a product called 'Nurish Um' which also comes in a tube and looks like golden syrup; it's high calorie/high vitamins and you squeeze out a bit and wipe it round the cat's lips; I've found it invaluable for non-feeding cats and buy it from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/VetIQ-001384-N ... s=nurishum where it's also advertised as Nutri-Vit, but I've seen it for sale in PetsAtHome.

But I do hope you manage to get to the bottom of Sky's problem - all the very best with him x

[Kay]

when my Tosker was struggling to eat I kept him going for quite a while on cow's milk and youghurt

If your Sky will lap you have quite a few options, even liquidising food if necessary

I would ask if his mouth and throat were properly examined when he was under the anaesthetic though - once when my Tiffany was shying away from food the vet couldn't see anything wrong, but I pressed for her to be put under and then they found a molar had been knocked half out and become infected

[Blue Wind]

We are having something similar with our 14+ female cat Whitby. She stopped eating last week, nothing has shown up from blood tests are Xrays. She has started steroids and has been eating a bit. She is slumped and not moving. The vets have no clue, she had tooth calcification and I was wondering she was in pain due to this, but the vet didn't think this was the cause. We have a new cat join the household, a six month female who was ferel, the kitten is well and has been vaccinated.